WELCOME BACK! Week of September 7...

Welcome back Park faithful! Let me first apologize for the delay in rejuvenating the blog. Thus far this year, it's often proven difficult to simply locate my laptop (much less sit and write upon it) through the preseason paperwork and calamitous crowds occupying my office. More on that later. Suffice it to say, professional visits to the ATR have far outnumbered the social calls during the early course of the season. Still, the weather is beautiful, the fields are green and whistles are blowing. Cleats are kicking and balls are bouncing, rackets swiping and runners... well, running. Spread the word; the Bruins are back.

The fall is officially gaining its stride with scrimmages giving way to conference games and early morning sessions having progressed to their more customary late afternoon slots, but before delving into a team-by-team address of what's to come, let's take a closer look at the highlights of what has passed. Over the summer, a handful of Park athletes were showered with accolades the likes of which we haven't seen in at least the decade I've been here, and certainly deserving of celebration among our community and elsewhere.

Departing senior Anja Fries ('09) and rising senior Lucie Weinberg ('10) were named High School Academic All-America honorees. Dawn Lee ('09) earned the Towson/Owings Mills Times Female Athlete of the Year award. And last, but certainly not least, Adrienne Tarver ('10) was recognized as a 1st Team High School All-America member and mentioned by Inside Lacrosse as a rising senior to watch this year. Oh, and she also verbally committed to Yale. To further satiate your appetite for all things AT, check the article from The Towson/Owings Mills Times. These girls are walking (running, playing, studying...) examples of the ideals set forth by Park Athletics; that while sports are certainly our passion, they do not define all that we are. Congratulations all!

Lucie ('09 All-Conference) and Adrienne join forces again this fall, leading the varsity girls' soccer squad along with fellow captain "Georgi" McCauley. They are 3 of only 4 seniors on the team of 23. The group that plays with "energy and enthusiasm," according to Coaches Piper and Jennings, is dominated by freshmen - 10 in all - and carries all the advantages and disadvantages of that sort of lineup. Limiting errors may prove the key in besting strong foes from St. Paul's, RPCS and Friends. In their first scrimmage, the girls took on Pikesville in a lopsided 5-0 victory. Their next test came against CHEN last Thursday (9/3); a game that, though tighter in goals, once again exhibited some of the potential of this year's team ending 4-1 in the Bruins' favor. This week, the "B" team takes on the Quakers at home on Wednesday. Mt. Carmel is next on Friday, the 11th, also at home.

Girls' field hockey will field 5 seniors, including captains Emily Breiter, Julia Meyerhoff and Maria Schwartz. Just like their counterparts on the soccer pitch, they've seen early success... supremecy, some might say. Their scrimmages - against Key, IND and Catholic - all saw first half shutouts that lead to premature resetting of the score. Coach Hickok hopes to burn out the scoreboard lights as conference play begins in earnest, but the team's path will be bumpy to say the least. Powerhouse B-Conference rival McDonogh is mentioned in The Sun's preseason top 15, and the schedule's first week provides little time to get comfortable with 2 games on the road; Wednesday at Seton Keough and Friday at Friends. Start strong girls.

Boys' Soccer has begun the year as a bit of an enigma. With 17 (count 'em!) seniors among the 27 athletes, you'd expect a disciplined, well-oiled machine, right? Early signs, however, lead Coach Mallonee, not to mention yours truly, to dread the repair bill rather than relish the performance of this experienced engine. A hefty portion of the Bruins found themselves sidelined by one malady or another during the early fall causing captains Jon Hettleman, Nick Ryugo and lone returning MIAA All-Star, Andrew Duberg to rethink their leadership strategy. Following a 4-0 blowout of Lutheran, a 3-3 wake up call against Key further increased the team's anxiety. It took a 0-4 loss against talented Gilman to expose what might be the first light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, I said a "0-4 loss." In that game, specifically the second half, the boys appeared to turn things around a bit and refocus themselves. Many players are in unfamiliar roles and/or positions and lack consistency. Several must step up, drawing on the Bruins' classic intelligence, toughness and hustle, if the team is to make a splash in November. Wednesday brings us Pallotti at home followed by a game at Severn on Friday.

Girls' Tennis rolls out a small army of 22 players (8 seniors) this fall. Captained by Sofia Macht and Jen Swirnow, the girls have only a month and a half to work out the kinks and find the apex of their game before the regular season closes in mid October. The abbreviated schedule certainly doesn't leave much room for error, but Coach Betty Medalie assures me that there are contenders among this bunch. Competition begins at Chestnut Ridge Tuesday (9/8) as the girls face Baltimore Lutheran. Make this early match if you can; finals are around the corner!

Lone senior and captain, Kyle Long, hopes to lead the boys' cross country runners to another top 10 team finish in the A-Conference. The past 3 years have witnessed Coach Hulleberg's "upstarts" string together consecutive 5th place awards in the Oregon Ridge final. Youth and inexperience may tilt the course slightly uphill against the Bruins this fall, but the boys' hard work in the off- and early-season is already paying dividends as the crew remains healthy, motivated and having fun. The gun goes off Tuesday at home against Gilman. Come cheer the boys through the woods from Kelly Field.

Girls' cross country fields its largest squad in the last 5 years with 13 members, only 3 of whom are seniors (Maggie Casey, Alix Gresov and Susie Yaster). This group, too, is young with 5 freshmen and 2 sophomores, but Coach Walker promises a "speedy" bunch with potential. Tuesday the girls travel to Lutheran to begin to ascertain both the quantity and balance of those 2 attributes. Work hard and have fun girls.

More info to come. Welcome to the new year! Always check the website to confirm dates and venues and don't hesitate to contact me to correct my errors!

GO BRUINS!

Year's end: 2009...

Last Monday we watched the Class of 2009 graduate and begin the next chapter of their own personal stories. In the weeks prior, our departing seniors reveled with teammates and classmates alike, celebrating 3 spring conference finals victories, and congratulated one another as the honored guests of the Athletics Breakfast. Among the hugs, applause and photo ops, we took the opportunity to reminisce, recalling the all-too-brief history of this group to be shared via this new platform. My personal archive, while likely tainted by the occasional inaccuracies of both a weary mind and lack of a credible online source (Barb and Lucky, where are you when I need you?), is nonetheless a testament to the prowess of the departing Bruins. It lists a double-digit tally of championship competitions with more wins than losses, as evidenced by banners hung and plaques displayed in recognition of successes by boys' basketball, girls' lacrosse (twice!), boys' tennis and softball.

17 all-conference awards, and 1 rare all-metro nod, have been stockpiled by the "Uh-Oh Niners" during their tenure here at Park. With 3 apiece, Carlos Cruz, the unstoppable, never-tiring waterbug of soccer, lacrosse and (finally) basketball fame, along with Dawn Lee, our very own imposing conglomeration of immovable object and unstoppable force, strode out of the Athletics Breakfast as Kelly Award winners. That same morning our Unsung Heroes received deserved, if unexpected and unsolicited, recognition. Lucas Hulleberg lead both on and off the field, through good times and bad, with little more than a smile and an infectious laugh, and triumphantly emerged from the daunting shadow of his older brother, providing much needed talent and cohesion to the cross country and lacrosse teams. Chris Benn proved a vital cog on the boys' soccer and basketball teams before battling through injury to win a tennis championship and, perhaps more impressively, managing to elicit the occasional chuckle from the Athletic Trainer in the spring (thanks Chris). Anja Fries, when not flaunting her bruises or boasting her bumps, spent her afternoons creating new ones on the hockey and lacrosse fields, culminating her career as a championship-winning goalie. The five honorees were the core of a small, but gritty senior class of athletes and all will be especially missed. Among the jumbled crush of numbers and statistics available (or not), the following were also of note:

All-IAAM Awards:
Rebecca Althauser - Soccer (1)
Kayla Bruun - Indoor occer (1)
Dawn Lee - Field Hockey (1), Basketball (2)
Julie Levitsky - Tennis (1)
Tess Shiras - Tennis (2)

All-MIAA Awards:
Carlos Cruz - Soccer (3)
Nathan Jones - Baseball (1)
Andrew Keiser - Baseball (1)
Karl Nelson - Basketball (3, 1 All Metro Honorable Mention)
Noam Yaffe - Soccer (1)

Departing seniors with at least 7 varsity seasons to their credit:
Rebecca Althauser
Nathaniel Colbert-Sangree
Carlos Cruz
Rachel Elliott
Dawn Lee

Indeed, like the long list of Bruins that preceded them, this year's group leaves in their wake a substantial void to be filled by rising underclassmen. Fortunately, the outlook is anything but bleak. The Class of 2010 enjoys both quantity and quality among their athletic attributes. As an example, 11 of the '09 juniors were 3-sport athletes this year, and the class has already matched the list above in number, counting 5 of their own as varsity letter winners in 7 or more seasons. What's more, the rising seniors have already accumulated 15 all conference honors!

The final seasons of the Class of 2009 gave us, among many others memories, the come-from-behind toppling of the Quakers in girls' lax as well as the heartbreaking finish to the girls' basketball championship. The former ranks among the most thrilling contests I've ever witnessed. The latter should instill a feeling of pride and community among each and every Bruin. Whether clamoring at the unimaginable feats of the victorious or shaking the gym in a losing effort, it is often the struggle rather than the outcome that are the ultimate reward. It is the friendships and emotion, rather than the records, that remain once the shouting has ceased.

Best of luck, gang! Keep in touch and continue to make us proud.

What's Bruin will return as we near the fall seasons and welcome the new school year. Take care all and thank you for keeping up with the blog and Park athletics!

GO BRUINS!